A few years ago, I cobbled together a sensor to monitor the water level of my Christmas tree. Like a bad holiday movie, it’s since sucked me in for a few more hours of tinkering each year. Although its main function is largely unchanged, I’ve added a few more bells and whistles along the way. I upgraded the scrap metal + FoodSaver bag sensing probe to a custom PCB and changed the software platform from Arduino + Adafruit IO to ESP Home, unlocking the full smart home automation power of Home Assistant. The result is a reliable and relatively power-efficient Continue Reading